[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

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Sunday, 24 January 1943 - Stettin

Conducting tactical exercises and training with the 4th Training Flotilla (Freg.Kpt. Heinz FISCHER), Stettin and AGRU-Front, (Kvt.Kpt.-Ing. H. MÜLLER).

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Tirpitz completed its refitting at Fættenfjord/Lofjord near Trondheim, Norway.

12 aircraft are launched to attack Allied convoy JW-52; three of them find and attack the convoy, but all three are shot down.

Soviet troops capture Starobelskiy, Ukraine, while the Soviet Trans-Caucasian Front's offensive toward the Kuban bridgehead is halted near Krasnodar and Novorossiysk. A new offensive drive, named the Tikhoretsk-Eisk Offensive Operation, is therfore launched today.

The Soviets once again demand surrender from the encircled 6th Army in Stalingrad. Responding to Friedrich Paulus' message requesting permission to surrender as his men were now nearly out of ammunition and medical supplies, The Führer tells Paulus to fight to the last man even if defeat is imminent. By the end of this day, the 6. Armee in Stalingrad will be divided in two pockets and will have lost the use of the last airstrip available to them, Stalingradsaya Airfield.

Convoy No. 3 (SC.117):
Wireless conditions are still bad and make escort duties impossible for Group "Jaguar". According to U 594 (Kptlt. Dietrich Hoffmann) report U 706 (Kptlt. Alexander von Zitzewitz) fired a quadruple miss at a destroyer on 23.1. and U 598 (Kptlt. Gottfried Holtorf) sighted a suspicious looking isolated vessel in AJ 7972 and smoke trails in AJ 7974. U 706 and U 123 searched in the direction of 20°, also 60° and began their return passage in the course of 24.1. owing to fuel shortage. Group "Haudegen" received orders to take up position in patrol lines with 15 boats at 1100 on 24.1 from AD(?) 3989 to AK 4178. With a cruising speed of 8 knots the convoy should reach the lines at about 1130. Owing to heavy north-westerly storms the boats could only cover a distance of 4 sea miles and were unable to occupy the lines at the time decided upon. As, however, U 266 (Kptlt. Ralf von Jessen) confirmed with certainty a broad hydrophone bearing in 80° at 0130 from AJ 2745 and a strong noise band of 210° - 265° from AJ 2746, it may be presumed that the convoy is further astern than previously supposed and the boats must have occupied the lines before it passed through. Group "Jaguar" and U 525 and 201 are operating on the hydrophone bearing obtained by U 266. No further messages were received up till morning. The operation continues.

U 105 (Oblt. Jürgen Nissen) sank a tanker of 10,000 GRT which was lying for no apparent reason with engines stopped about 60 sea miles S. of the isolated traffic route confirmed by Radio Intelligence report (special) in DQ 2347. It was carrying Benzene - Note: "The British Viligence" which had been hit by U 514 (Kptlt. Hans Jürgen Auffermann) on January 3rd and abandoned. A flying boat was sighted at 2115 circling over the sinking area.

U 217 (VIID; Kptlt. Kurt Reichenbach-Klinke) situation: From 26 - 29.12. and 10. - 23.1. only passenger steamer on a course of 330° encountered from EO 52 to EP 48 on the 200 meter line and a hydrophone bearing in EO 5252 with southerly deflection. Systematic aerial activity by "Consolidated" type flying boat as far as 200 sea miles from the Guiana Coast.

U 260 (Kptlt. Hubertus Purkhold) replenished supplies from U 117 (XB; Korvkpt. Hans-Werner Neumann) and began return passage.

U 164 (Korvkpt. Otto Fechner) operated off the Brazilian Coast and sank a steamer after examination of the cargo on 2.1. in FB 3815 (Note: Swedish Brazaland). In spite of repeated requests the boat has not since reported. According to an earlier W/T message, U 164 had a leak in the pressure tanks, that was effectively mended. It is likely that the leak sprang up again on a deep dive and caused the destruction of the boat. (Note: U 164 was sunk on Jan. 6th).

British war expenditure is estimated to be running at £14 million a day.

The Casablanca Conference ends with the announcement of a requirement for unconditional surrender from Germany to end the war.

U 648 (Ltnt.z.S.d.R. Peter-Arthur Stahl) conducts exercises with the AGRU-Front Hela.

RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

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Monday, 25 January 1943 - Stettin

Conducting tactical exercises and training with the 4th Training Flotilla (Freg.Kpt. Heinz FISCHER), Stettin and AGRU-Front, (Kvt.Kpt.-Ing. H. MÜLLER).

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Our troops evacuate Voronezh and Armavir in southern Russia, and the remnants of the 6.Armee are split in two pockets, north and south, in Stalingrad.

In his Order of the Day, Stalin claimes that Soviet troops have routed 102 enemy divisions in two months of fighting.

U 575 (Kptlt. Günther Heydemann) - in patrol line of group "Delphin" - sank a large 10,000 ton vessel on a course of 1200, speed 12 knots in DG 1326. According to P.O.W. (Chief Cook Robert Daigle) reports the ship belonged to the expected convoy which put out of New York for Casablanca on 13.1 and which dispersed owing to bad weather on 22.1. (UGS.4). It can, therefore, be presumed that still further isolated vessels will pass the patrol lines. "Delphin" boats have received directions to report every ship sighted isolated.

Convoy No. 3 (SC.117):
Boat of the "Haudegen" group reported on request, that owing to persistent N.W. storms their passage speed still only amounts to 4 knots. This means that the lines previously ordered cannot be occupied before 0800 on 26.1. In order to intercept the convoy with certainty, Group "Haudegen" received orders to take up position in new patrol lines from AD 9533 to AK 4183. Further, boats are directed to operate at their own discretion and without orders from Command on receipt of convoy contact messages. U 266 (Kptlt. Ralf von Jessen) presumes convoy to be in AJ 2755 as two perfect hydrophone observations were obtained at 0300 on 25.1. in this area. No further messages received. Group "Jaguar" maintains an independent search from NE to E. Several boats are so low in fuel that they will have to start the return passage within 24 hours. Lack of sufficient tankers is now uncomfortably noticeable. The operation continues.

Owing to U 384's (Oblt. Hans-Achim von Rosenberg-Gruszcynski) necessary return, the line occupied by Group "Landsknecht" will be narrowed by one position on 1200 on 26.1 and will then extend from AL 4447 to BE 2138. According to present reckoning the arrival of the expected convoy cannot be expected until after today as the leaving times of the ON convoys has probably been postponed for 2 or 3 days.

U 214 (VIID; Kptlt. Günther Reeder) which was originally to have searched for traffic in DP 70, has received orders to proceed with small steps via DQ 70 to DR 55 and to operate there according to fuel supply. The grid mentioned is approximately the intersection point of the Trinidad/North Africa tanker convoy route and according to Radio Intelligence Report (special) a confirmed straggler route.

Owing to the temporary breakdown of "Milkcow" U 462 (Oblt. Bruno Vowe) the replenishment of supplies by U 124 (Kptlt. Johann Mohr) and U 105 (Oblt. Jürgen Nissen), in DF 50, must be carried out by a type IXc boat. U 504 (Kptlt. Wilhelm Luis) received orders to proceed to DP 3755 and carry out replenishment of supplies. Later replenishment of this boat by U 118 (XB; Korvkpt. Werner Czygan) is intended.

U 648 (Ltnt.z.S.d.R. Peter-Arthur Stahl) conducts exercises with the AGRU-Front Hela.

RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115